HuntingNet.com Forums - Handguns for deer

...ahhh, well... back to the original topic.... my opinion, and it is ONLY an opinion, since I haven't killed a deer with a handgun, yet.. is go with the .45 Colt.... in handguns, the velocity isn't always adequate for bullet expansion. I know that bullet makers have made GREAT strides in making bullets that will expand more consistently, but we still are at a slight disadvantage..compared to rifles. I tend to look at it like this... the larger diameter hole you punch through an animals "vitals", the more likely you are to NOT have to track it. A 357 bullet MIGHT expand to 45 or 50 caliber... "might"... but a 45 caliber bullet will never shrink to a 35 caliber..... whether it expands, or not, it will punch a 45 caliber hole through the animal.
....and, yes, the 454 is just that much more of a good thing.. but unless you get a ported (NOISY) gun, the recoil can be pretty intimidating. The 44 mag is a great gun, but the 45 is just more of a good thing....especially if you reload. And don't worry about there not being a "45 Special"... just buy some of the cowboy loads for practice.. or load your own.
.... oh, and I am pretty sure I read an article recently by one of the more knowledgeable gun writers... Venturino, maybe? that talked about the fact that there actually WAS a load called the 45 Short Colt.... I'll have to go back and see if I can find the article....I understand the nitpicking over correct nomenclature, but this one might actually be acceptable..... the one that drives me nuts is the advertisements selling reloading components, like "bullet heads".... "pulled bullet heads" from milsurp cartridges. And another one... calling a cartridge a "bullet"... and bullet casters calling the sprue a "spruce".... DON'T GET ME STARTED... AAAAUUUUUUUGGGHH!!!! .... ok, deep breath, exhale...

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